acknowledgement of country - city of ballarat · this aligns with our work to build a new cultural...

Acknowledgement of Country The City of Ballarat is committed to reconciliation with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and acknowledges the traditional owners - the Wadawurrung and Dja Dja Wurrung people and all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as custodians.

2 City of Ballarat Gender Equity Action Plan

Contents

Foreword ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

External Context and Internal Context ……………………………………………………….………………………. 8

Where we have come from and where we are heading ……………………………………………….………. 9

Action Plan 2018-2020 …………………..…………………………………………………….….………………………. 11

Outcome 1: The City of Ballarat workplace is a sector-wide gender equality leader ………………..……..……….…. 11

Outcome 2: The City of Ballarat boasts a gender-balanced workforce composition and pay equality ……………... 14

Outcome 3: The City of Ballarat has zero tolerance for everyday sexism and all sta� are empowered to address it . 15

Outcome 4: The City of Ballarat applies bias-free practices when assessing its talent pool ………………………….. 16

Outcome 5: All women are supported to succeed at the City of Ballarat …………………………………….………….. 17

City of Ballarat Gender Equity Action Plan 3

City of Ballarat Gender Equity Action Plan 2018-2020 A workplace where women and men are equally represented, valued and rewarded: 50/50 by 2020

FOREWORD

It is with great pleasure that I present to you the City of Ballarat's Gender Equity Strategy of 50/50 by 2020 and supporting Action Plan 2018-2020.

As a woman of influence in the community we live in and one with the opportunity to e�ect real change through the organisation I serve, I am working to lead an organisation where every woman feels equal and has equal opportunities to be her best and progress.

This is incredibly important as gender inequality is considered a significant underlying cause of violence against women and children.

This aligns with our work to build a new cultural norm for the Ballarat Way of Working (BWOW) here at the City of Ballarat.

Gender equality isn’t optional, hence our focus of 50/50 by 2020.

The City of Ballarat has already started the journey and we are leaders in this space, well positioned for success.

The Strategy and Action Plan below are designed to help us address the barriers and behaviours that impact gender equity (gender pay gaps, barriers to leadership, glass ceilings, everyday sexism) and improve attitudes towards women.

I charge each of you to come on this journey with me, lead the way and be part of the change for a better future.

Justine Linley CEO


Introduction

In 2012, Council endorsed the City of Ballarat Community Charter for the Prevention of Violence Against Women, a project that clearly stated a vision for eliminating violence against women. Since 2013, Council has included the prevention of violence against women and gender equity in the Council and Community Plan.

Until now, Council actions have focussed mainly on the community. Our internal focus has been relatively uncoordinated. During 2017-2018 a significant project was undertaken to understand our state as an organisation. Using the findings from an internal audit and assessments, sta� conversations, training and survey responses, research and considering best practice, we have developed this Gender Equity Strategy and Action Plan for our way forward.

The City of Ballarat is at the beginning of establishing a new cultural norm called the Ballarat Way of Working (BWOW) which is all about how we connect + integrate, learn + perform, communicate + reward and ensure that what we do is strategic + sustaining. With a vision to be an organisation that is bold, vibrant and thriving, our Gender Equity Strategy of 50/50 by 2020 and supporting Action Plan is part of a number of projects designed to establish our new norm.

However, such female representation does not permeate through other levels of the City of Ballarat. In 2017, only 26 per cent of women held director and executive management positions while 33 per cent of women held Councillor roles.

With women making up more than 60% of the organisation, it’s reasonable to expect women will make up 50% of the leadership team and have every opportunity to access information, participate, be respected colleagues, advance their careers and enjoy their work. Gender inequalities are built into the systems and structures of workplaces, councils and communities and t herefore it will be important to focus our e�orts on addressing the root causes of gender inequality.

It is timely to launch the Gender Equity Action Plan here at the City of Ballarat, where we have two significant women - CEO Justine Linley and Mayor Samantha McIntosh - leading the way.


This action plan provides a clear path towards 50/50 by 2020 and builds on the foundations of a workplace of equality and respect. Our investment and long-term commitment to change is essential for progressing the organisation’s journey to achieving true gender equality.

To achieve workplace gender equality and our vision of 50/50 by 2020, our desired outcomes are as follows:

1 . The City of Ballarat workplace is a sector-wide gender equity leader

2 . City of Ballarat boasts a gender-balanced workforce composition and pay equality

3. City of Ballarat has zero tolerance for everyday sexism and all sta� are empowered to address it

4. City of Ballarat applies bias-free practices when assessing its talent pool

5 . All women are supported to succeed at the City of Ballarat

These actions address the underlying structural foundations of gender inequality and tackle the embedded gender stereotypes and structural power imbalances. This plan aims to achieve a gender equitable workplace and a workplace where women and men are equally represented, valued and rewarded.

Gender equality is not optional. It is a human right and requires leadership, resourcing, commitment, champions and action to e�ect positive change.

50/50

If not … why not?


External Context

Internal Context

National

• Workplace Gender Equality Act (2012)• Fair Work Act (2009)• Towards 2025: An Australian Government Strategy to Boost Women’s

Workforce Participation (2017)

Victorian

• The Safe and Strong: A Victorian Gender Equality Strategy (2016)• Royal Commission into Family Violence (2016)• Free from violence: Victoria’s strategy to prevent family violence and all

forms of violence against women (2017)• Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act (2006)• Equal Opportunity Act (2010)• Family Violence Prevention Act (2008)• Occupational Health and Safety Act (2004)

Local & Community

• MAV Womens Charter• CoRE Alliance member• Right to the Night Project• Active Women and Girls' Strategy

Strategic

• Community Charter for the Prevention of Violence against Women Statement

• Council Plan• Municipal Public Health and Wellbeing Plan • BWOW • Family violence policy and clause in EBA• Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Toolkit

Program

• MAV Womens Charter signatory• 5050 Vision Bronze Accreditation • Strengthening the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD)

Community by Preventing Violence Against Women project and Enabling Womens Leadership Program for women with disabilites

• Listen Learn Lead• Act@Work• City of Ballarat Women's Network

Action

• Gender Equity Committee• Gender Changemakers• Gender Audit• Gender Equity Action Plan• Diversity and Inclusion O�icer

8 City of Ballarat Gender Equity Action Plan2 City of Ballarat Gender Equity Action Plan

Where we have come from and where we are heading

Figure 1 : Gender equality roadmap


27 sessions | 453 di�erent people

340 participants | 1113 hrs | 50/50 split

6 GE 101 | 11 Intensive Bystander

10 Introduction to PVAW and Bystander

Gender Equity Program 2017/18

Sessions

Tra

inin

g

Men on average access double the training hours than

that of women

When it comes to addressing sexist jokes at work, it was far more likely among women (67%) than men (32%) to do this

Need:

Promotion of policies and

the conditions for all sta�

Gender neutral parental leave

policy

Learning and development

policy

Family Violence leave policy and included in EBA

Flexible working family-friendly policy

Leave policy – including parental and paternity – 13 weeks

Paid leave for mother

A�irmative action and equal opportunity

Anti-discrimination and anti-harassment

Bullying prevention

Poli

cies

and

Pro

cess

es Pay

Equ

ity

Tal

ent

Pip

elin

e

Wor

kfor

ce C

ompo

siti

onW

omen

's H

ealt

hGrampian

s

attitu

des

Fle

xibi

lity Women are three

times more likely to purchase additional

leave than men

Consistent with the average of

Victorian councils

39%

M

EN • 61% WOMEN

Directors and

Executive Managers

Annual turnover -

female 62% & male 38% -

total 12.6%

Women three times more likely to leave than men

Councillor – 66% men and 33% women

66%

M

EN • 33% WOMEN

Out of the 367 men employed only 11%

work part-time

11% OF MEN

WO

R K P A R T - T I ME

Out of the 566 women employed 62% work part-time or casual

62% OF WOMEN

WO

R K P A R T - T I ME

74% men and 26% women occupy a

total of 19 positions

DIRE

CT

OR

S

&EXECUTIVE

MA

NA

GERS

5.3

%

54

%46

%67

%

62%

38%

54% (particularly full-time employees) believed there were times where women are treated unfairly at work

46% (1 in 2) of surveyed sta� reported there were times when it was okay to tell a sexist joke socially, and 18% (1 in 5) reported sexist jokes were OKin a workplace context

Staff

survey

Action Plan 2018-2020 OUTCOME 1: The City of Ballarat workplace is a sector-wide gender equity leader

ACTION YEAR

Embed the Gender Equity Committee in the organisation to support, advise and be responsible for the execution o f this Action Plan. 2018/19

Finalise the terms of reference of the Gender Equity Committee. 2018/19

Promote the City of Ballarat’s vision and commitment as a gender equitable organisation (including the Victorian Local Government Women's Charter) through public statement, Council website and internal communications. 2018/19

Ensure a position assumes responsibility for the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Gender Equity Strategy for a two-year minimum period. 2018/19

Establish the role of Mayor and CEO as champions for gender equity. 2018/19

Endorse the Workplace Gender Equality Agency roadmap and reporting framework as the mechanism to monitor gender equity progress. 2018/19

Establish a gender reporting dashboard and introduce Gender Equity Action Plan progress reporting as a standing agenda item at executive level meetings. 2018/19


OUTCOME 1: The City of Ballarat workplace is a sector-wide gender equity leader continued

Establish gender equity principles to apply across organisation that support the vision of 50/50 by 2020. 2018/19

Research and recommend a gender equity key performance indicator (KPI) in organisation plans and as KPIs in the CEO and senior sta� work plans. 2018/19

Be an active member of the MAV Gender Equity in Local Government Partnership Network and CoRE Alliance. 2018/19

Commit to the Panel Pledge which promotes women being equally represented at speaking events, conferences and councillor briefings both internally and externally. 2018/19

Gender equity is formally recognised in the sta�/councillor code of conduct and corporate induction processes. 2018/19

Embed gender equity messaging into regular, routine business communications from leaders, highlight role models and position City of Ballarat as an industry leader and shaper. 2018/19

Ensure language and images in all City of Ballarat’s internal and external publications are diverse and promote gender balance. Use our position to address stereotypes and promote inclusion, diversity and equality. 2018/19

Review organisational intranet gender equity page to ensure ease of reference and information for promotion to sta� and managers. 2018/19

Ensure the organisation, as part of its change program, provides additional training and access to resources to support organisational change in gender equity and inclusion. 2018/19

Incorporate gender equity and inclusion aspects in the Policy and Procedure Framework and applied as policies are reviewed. 2018/19


OUTCOME 1: The City of Ballarat workplace is a sector-wide gender equity leader continued

Develop a program of activity to support - www.100daysforchange.com.au - each year. 2018/19

Investigate City of Ballarat suitability for acceptance into the WGEA Employer of Choice Gender Equality Citation as an acknowledgement of City of Ballarat’s leadership on gender equity. 2019/20

Identify and pursue external grant funding to implement key initiatives in the gender equity action plan. 2019/20

Promote ALGWA National Accreditation program 50/50 and City of Ballarat’s Bronze status. Use the program to guide future achievement of silver and gold status. 2019/20

Review process for recruitment of candidates for committees of Council and establish 50/50 target by 2020. 2019/20

Examine how the Enterprise Agreement can be expanded to ensure greater workplace equity and flexibility including parental le ave, carer’s leave (end of life caring) and addressing the gender pay gap in like-for-like work. 2019/20

Apply a gender lens to City of Ballarat’s annual budget preparations to increase the balance in proposed expenditure over time. 2019/20

Ensure gender equity principles are applied to all People and Performance frameworks and initiatives. 2019/20

Ensure employee engagement/culture surveys include measuring employees ’ sense of inclusion (by gender). 2019/20

Address gender equity and inclusion in all Council plans and strategies. 2019/20

Provide support and guidance to all sta� when reviewing plans and strategies and make recommendations on gender implications. 2019/20


OUTCOME 2: City of Ballarat boasts a gender-balanced workforce composition and pay equality

ACTION YEAR

Establish gender targets for all positions Band 7 and above and use to inform attraction and retention strategies. 2018/19

Conduct gender analysis of inflows and outflows of sta� (voluntary and involuntary) to identify hotspots and incorporate into recruitment and/or retention strategies. 2018/19

Quantify the gender pay gap and establish mechanisms to reset the baseline. 2018/19

Review remuneration policy with clear and transparent processes, objective criteria for allocating benefits and all remunerat ion is linked to objective performance measures. 2018/19

Investigate where low income is triggering no superannuation payments within the organisation to determine level of impact and identify options to assist in boosting superannuation. 2018/19

Analyse the gender composition of each structural level and between teams, and develop strategies to address areas of significant discrepancy. 2019/20


OUTCOME 3: City of Ballarat has zero tolerance for everyday sexism and all staff are empowered to address it

ACTION YEAR

Review and promote harassment, discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) policies and procedures within the workforce. 2018/19

Incorporate gender equity into induction program and provide regular and ongoing training across the areas of bystander, unconscious bias, and Preventing Violence Against Women (PVAW). 2018/19

Develop and distribute an internal campaign and tools that clearly articulate what everyday sexism looks like and how to call out and prevent it. 2018/19

Develop a communication plan that supports reinforcement of messaging from CEO and ELT on a zero-tolerance approach to harassment, discrimination, unfair treatment, everyday sexism. 2018/19


OUTCOME 4: City of Ballarat applies bias-free practices when assessing its talent pool

ACTION YEAR

Ensure recruitment strategies are in place that attract a gender-balanced list of candidates. 2018/19

Implement language that is gender-neutral and inclusive (gender decoder) when writing/reviewing position descriptions and adverts. 2018/19

Ensure all recruitment processes use a gender-balanced interview panel. 2018/19

Establish a policy of salary on commencement at base level and guidelines for any negotiation above base for preferred candidates to ensure it follows a standard approach. 2018/19

Develop data gathering mechanisms to track gender composition of each key recruitment stage and use data to continually improve practice. 2018/19

When using recruitment agencies ensure they are adhering to the City of Ballarat’s gender equity requirements and reporting on gender splits in the shortlisting and interviewing process. 2018/19


OUTCOME 5: All women are supported to succeed at the City of Ballarat

ACTION YEAR

Investigate options for increasing gender balance in Executive Leadership/Executive Management Team meetings where appropriate; and attendance at Council meetings to raise visibility of women, increase personal/professional development and a gender-balanced environment.

2018/19

Review the City of Ballarat Women’s Network focus and develop an annual program of events that connect and develop sta� and monitor and evaluate progress. 2018/19

Review external study assistance provisions and provide assistance to equal numbers of men and women each year. 2019/20

Establish a formal mentoring program to assist women in mid-level roles to access higher level positions. 2019/20

Establish work placements and secondments programs to connect the workplace and senior sta� with women, including those from STEM backgrounds. 2019/20

Ensure leadership and professional development opportunities are provided through flexible means allowin g more women to participate (50/50 target). 2019/20

Promote opportunities for female sta� to be leaders and spokespeople, such as involvement on committees, boards and networks, submitting papers to conferences and publications and award nominations. 2019/20


OUTCOME 5: All women are supported to succeed at the City of Ballarat continued

Develop and implement a program of activities and events to engage and support informal learning and build awareness of gender equity, e.g. Annual International Women’s Day celebration. 2019/20

Promote the profiles of mid-level women working at the City of Ballarat through internal communications. 2019/20


acknowledgement of country - city of ballarat · this aligns with our work to build a new cultural...

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